Donors.

When it comes to the world of philanthropy, 2018 promises to be transformational. Pessimists are concerned about the impact of new federal tax laws, the increase in income inequality and the growing need for critical social services. Optimists see more reason for hope, believing that we have entered the “golden age of giving.”

After entering Myanmar as the country's first pay-as-you go solar power provider in 2015, Brighterlite recently ceased operations there, losing the nearly US $2 million invested in the startup. Jørund Buen, co-founder of the firm that owns Brighterlite, explains what went wrong – and the role that government and donors played in the failure.

A slew of reports over the last two years from the more progressive spheres of the social good sector shows that philanthropy cannot continue with “business as usual” if we hope to actually achieve the global SDGs. Mark Horoszowski and Petra Barbu of MovingWorlds pull some nuggets of wisdom from several recent reports, all pointing toward new rules the changemakers of the future are, or soon will be, following.

In March 2017, nearly 60 nations along with private funders and philanthropists from around the world attended what is being widely described as a “hastily convened” one-day She Decides family planning conference in Brussels, Belgium. She Decides is a global family planning initiative launched by Dutch minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Lilianne Ploumen, in response to the GGR reinstatement. The goal of the campaign is to fill the nearly $600 million funding gap that will likely be caused by the GGR.

A recent report about the values and giving practices of high and ultra-high net worth adults–people with at least $1 million in liquid financial assets–by U.S. Trust, Bank of America’s private wealth management group, provides some answers.